Ramblings Blog

This recipe was recently shared on a Scouting mailing list and I thought I would share with you as its sounds pretty good and came with high praise. Originally it came from http://www.food.com/recipe/kids-chili-15603#ixzz1npbZ9Clu Kid's ChiliIngredients:2 lbs lean ground beef 1 cup chopped yellow onion 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon pepper , to taste 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 can mild chili bean (Bush's) 1 can dark red kidney beans (Bush's) 2 cans DelMonte stewed tomatoes...[More]

Hello All,Been awhile since I last posted and there have been some updates. Yes, I am still a Den Leader and now a Webelos Den Leader, which is my primary position as an Adult Scout Leader.I have completed my Wood Badge Ticket in 2011 and since then have been asked to become the Committee Chair for my Pack and to also be the Cub Scout Roundtable Commissioner for my District. Scouting has filled up all...[More]

In the first book of this twelve part series, written by Maj. Archibald Lee Fletcher, introduces the boys of the Beaver Patrol of Beverly, Indiana, a small Midwestern town. This group of boys, living shortly after the turn of the 20th century, decide to form their own fledgling Boy Scout troop – the first in their area. It is the dawn of the scouting movement in America. The boys have to overcome the skepticism of...[More]

My good friend Jeff Walker, founder of The Perfect CampfireGrill, has designed and built an amazing line of grills to cook over a campfire. Jeff's grills are made from heavy-guage steel and have a patented one inch raised edge that allows the cook to put food up to the edge without it rolling off into the campfire. Not only are his grills affordable, they are simple to setup. Put the stake in the ground,...[More]

Remember, if you are having fun everyone else is having fun. When we get into the second half of the Scouting year, us Leaders start looking at the “Finish Line” aka the end of the Scouting year. It is bittersweet, but we need to remember to have the boys complete their Requirements needed for Advancement while still having fun. I have found if I am having fun, it keeps burn out from happening.If you are...[More]

Big Rock Publishing presents the Centennial Edition of The Boy Scout Series, originally published in 1913, and written by Maj. Archibald Lee Fletcher. This edition features a foreword written by P. Todd Kelly, noted Scouting historian and Ronald J. Stacey, Editor. In the foreword, Kelly and Stacey point out some similarities and quite a few differences between America in 1913 and talk about the general state of affairs in the nation and the world at...[More]

Awhile back I wrote a series detailing my group camp kitchen which included an array of helpful tips and hints. Since I originally wrote this series many more Scouters have started to use InsaneScouter and I thought the series might help them, and some of you die-hards might like to take a look at it again. So here are the links to the originally posts. Enjoy! Kamp Kitchen - Food Storage Kamp Kitchen - Packing...[More]

This is a cool video I stumbled across with a guy showing how he hangs a hammock in his mini-van. All he really does is hook each end of the hammock in the doors, one in the front passenger door, and the other in the back cargo door. Then, by using the clips he has on the ends of the rope, he hooks the two ends of the hammock together. Take a look. ...[More]

Recently I was able to talk with the folks at CenterTrail.com, a website that provides simple template based hosting to Scout units. In interest of full disclosure Center Trail is a sponsor of InsaneScouter, but in no way was this interview paid for or influenced by their sponsorship of this site. What follows below is my interview with them. Everything in bold is my questions and comments. 1. What exactly is Center Trail?Mark: Center Trail...[More]

I was poking around YouTube and found myself hooked on the video below. The first gadget in this video is a cool camp chef stove with an oven, but the second gadget (around 1:10 into the video) is the sink. The sink stand and basin looks home-made from sprinkler pipe, some plumbing hardware, a wash basin with a drain in it, and a bucket to capture the water. But the foot pump to get the...[More]